sealing leather canteen

[Turkeyfoot]

I built a leather canteen, melted bees wax and pine pitch and it sealed perfectly. I have carried it all day and no leaks.

Recently I was told by a third party that pine pitch can contain giardia bacteria and that this fellow had contacted it from his canteen. Evidently the pine pitch tested positive. My thoughts are, this could be possible if the water he used was already contaminated?

Does any one have any thoughts about this? I sure would appreciate it!

_________________
"Instead of retreating, just re-load"

[Muskeg Stomper]

I'm sure that you are right since guardia cists are passed through the intestinal tract of critters and can live in water for a very long time. Never heard of it existing in tree sap/pitch. Water simply contaminated the canteen.

[Black Hand]

[Doc Mark]

Greetings,

Yep, the water was contaminated, and the fellow was badly informed to have concluded as he did. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

_________________
The only thing that can never be taken away from you, is your honor. Cherish it, in yourself, and in others.

[Turkeyfoot]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I certainly don't pretend to know everything, but I too was pretty sure it had to be the water. Now convincing the "bride" is a different story!!! LOL

_________________
"Instead of retreating, just re-load"

[kopfjaeger]

I would think since you had to melt the beeswax and pine pitch to seal your canteen that any organisms would of been destroyed from the heat of melting the beeswax and pine pitch " if " those organisms could even live in those materials.

I agree with the rest of the guys. The water that guy put into his canteen was properly the problem. Always good to carry a tiny bottle of bleach ( unsented ) with you. Three to four drops per quart will kill all and any organisms in the water in 15 minutes.

_________________
" A godly man and his rifle deprive sleep from the wicked, A christian man who prays is the defeater of evil, A praying man who will fight is the conqueror of nations and the hope of the oppressed "

[trent/OH]

At low temperatures and especially at high pH, chlorine kills Giardia much more slowly. If the water is beyond about 8.5, contact time will have to be MUCH higher, if you can get a kill at all.

[kopfjaeger]

Chlorine

Chlorine kills bacteria, including disease-causing organisms and the nuisance organism, iron bacteria. However, low levels of chlorine, normally used to disinfect water, are not an effective treatment for giardia cysts. A chlorine level of more than 10 milligrams per liter must be maintained for at least 30 minutes to kill giardia cysts.

Chlorine has been used since 1908 to disinfect water supplies in the United States to protect public health. The effectiveness of chlorination depends on the chlorine demand of the water, the concentration of the chlorine solution added, the time that chlorine is in contact with the organism, and water quality. These effects can be summarized in the following manner:

As the concentration of the chlorine increases, the required contact time to disinfect decreases.
Chlorination is more effective as water temperature increases.
Chlorination is less effective as the water's pH increases (becomes more alkaline).
Chlorination is less effective in cloudy (turbid) water.
When chlorine is added to the water supply, part of it combines with other chemicals in water (like iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia) and is not available for disinfection. The amount of chlorine that reacts with the other chemicals plus the amount required to achieve disinfection is the chlorine demand of the water.
The safest way to be sure that the amount of chlorine added is sufficient is to add a little more than is required. This will result in a free chlorine residual that can be measured easily. This chlorine residual must be maintained for several minutes depending on chlorine level and water quality. Table 4 lists the free chlorine residual level needed for different contact times, water temperatures and pH levels.

Table 4
Necessary chlorine residual to disinfect water for various contact times, water temperatures and pH

Water temperature: 50 degrees F
Contact time Necessary chlorine residual (milligrams per liter)
pH = 7 pH = 7.5 pH = 8
40 minutes 0.2 0.3 0.4
30 minutes 0.3 0.4 0.5
20 minutes 0.4 0.6 0.8
10 minutes 0.8 1.2 1.6
5 minutes 1.6 2.4 3.2
2 minutes 4.0 6.0 8.0
1 minutes 8.0 12.0 16.0


Water temperature: 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
Contact time Necessary chlorine residual (milligrams per liter)
pH = 7 pH = 7.5 pH = 8
40 minutes 0.3 0.5 0.6
30 minutes 0.4 0.6 0.8
20 minutes 0.6 0.9 1.2
10 minutes 1.2 1.8 2.4
5 minutes 2.4 3.6 4.8
2 minutes 6.0 9.0 12.0
1 minute 12.0 18.0 24.0

_________________
" A godly man and his rifle deprive sleep from the wicked, A christian man who prays is the defeater of evil, A praying man who will fight is the conqueror of nations and the hope of the oppressed "

[nwtradegun]

has been used as an antiseptic for millennium. since the days before the copper age. same as honey